Showing results by author "J. D. Brink" in All Categories

Luke Gillis is barely dragging himself through college. Of course, if he wrote term papers the way he thrashed bank robbers, he’d probably be a doctor by now. His mentor is the Miracle Worker. Yes, that Miracle Worker. Some say he’s more outlaw than hero, but beggars can’t be choosers. Still, Luke must be doing something right. The U.S. Army has invited his alter ego—the dashing speedster Spitball—on a top-secret mission. With the country’s premier superhero team missing-in-action, this could be his big break.

Alien gladiator Ballista escaped to Earth. They call her a "superhero" here, whatever that is. The monsters hurtling through space call her "prey". Ballista never knew her own people. Since childhood, she has fought and killed for the entertainment of tyrants. But now, on Earth, her peerless combat prowess has found new purpose. And new allies. Adam Smasher’s ego outweighs his exponential powers, but he means well. And Symian deserves far better than the dominant species here is willing to give him. Humanity has potential, though. Ballista can see herself making a home here.

★★★★★ “Casino Royale with superheroes.” An international supervillain summit. Androids, clones, and the Russian mob. And the martinis? Shaken, not stirred... Spitball is finally one of the Phenomenal Five. But the Five aren’t exactly heroes anymore. They’ve followed Miracle Worker’s path and become underground saviors wanted by the law. But that doesn’t make bad guys now, does it? Maybe it does... Miracle Worker has been invited to a secret meeting of supervillains. An annual convention of spies, terrorists, and mad scientists. And he has a history with them. Luke (...

Gamble for your soul with this compendium of the dark fantastic. A rogue’s gallery of otherworld detectives, undead mafia, and bloodthirsty femme fatales. It begins with the novel One-Eyed Jacks... Jack is an ex-Vegas illusionist turned criminal. He doesn’t believe in magic, even if magic believes in him. To prevent a mob war, Jack’s boss sends him to a remote Pacific island. A backwater casino at the edge of the map where low lifes lay low. And while he’s on this mandatory vacation, he might as well get some damn work done! His assignment: smuggle home an oracle of Asian antiquity ...

A superhero double-feature! Sarcastic speedster Spitball runs toward trouble, not away from it, while the Shadow Puppet idolizes Sam Spade and Adam West to defeat evil! The apocalypse came early this year. Again! A metahuman monster storms through midtown. A shapeless beast wreaking havoc, sowing chaos, and leaving nothing but destruction in its wake. Sounds like just another Tuesday in the life of your favorite new superhero! Wise-cracking rookie superhero Spitball teams up with the latest, post-disaster roster of the Phenomenal Five to defend Main Street from mayhem. Fans of Spider-Man, ...

Silver, they call it, the light of the full moon: celestial magic that changes men into beasts and calls the dead from their graves...and young men to their destinies. Billy Cole is the son of legendary folk hero Ian the Black. He should be marching to war, battling dragons, and rescuing fair maidens. Unfortunately for him, the war is long over, the last dragon was slain by the Dread Duke, and all the girls in Redfield are either several years younger than him or already married. Billy is 16 springs old and ready for a life of valor and excitement.

High fantasy goes rogue. Abbey Ax’l is a mage-detective on the run. To escape jealous rivals and the guilds, she flees west to the city of Overlook. Adopting a false name, she wants only to lie low and leave her past behind. But Overlook is no safe haven. With corrupt officials, a vicious criminal underworld, and a shadowy dragon threatening to burn it all down, lying low rails against her innate sense of justice. But a lone crusade against insurmountable odds might just leave her in a shallow, unmarked grave. Her only chance lies with two unlikely allies: a dark elf assassin turned monk ...

Sergeant Jacob Knox leads the Head Knockers, a unit of scout-saboteurs in the war against the Dread Duke and his armies. They are the favorite squad among Captain Brighton's Stormwalkers, until an ambush by shapeshifters kills the Captain, half the company, and Knox's best men. Now the new Captain has new orders: he's sending the Head Knockers to investigate an abandoned village, the possible source of the attack.

“A great pulp noir piece involving casinos, gunfights, and a dash of magic reminiscent of Big Trouble in Little China. Fun, exciting fiction that reads like my favorite movies from the ‘80s.” – Barbarian Book Club He’s an ex-magician turned criminal who never believed in magic. But when Fate deals him a new hand, all bets are off. Jack is a jaded former illusionist who turned his back on the glitz and glamour of Las Vegas. Now a cunning criminal, he shuffles in smuggling jobs and counterfeit art between stiff drinks and a half-assed search for greater purpose. When a collection ...

A doomsday cult has infiltrated Mesa City. Only a motley crew of rookie superheroes stand in their way. Red Mantis stalks a kidnapping ring, determined to shatter its grip of terror and every bone in its collective body. He may not have powers, but he knows how to fight. And when teenagers disappear from your neighborhood, that’s what you do: You stand up and fight! Besides, he may be the last hero left in this bleak city. Mister Wonderful hasn’t been seen in weeks. The Coyote is dead, murdered by cultists of the Never-Ending Serpent. Leaving her partner, Medicine Man, on a mindless ...

★★★★★ “Outstanding rendition of superhero genres everywhere. Not your typical caped crusaders in these hero stories.” A sinister funhouse, apocalyptic cultists, and a mutant crime war. Suit up, hero. It’s going to be a busy day. It’s a lovely day for a summer carnival. The sun is out, the Twinkies are deep-fried, and romance is in the air. Luke Gillis (a.k.a. Spitball) finally musters the courage to ask his lab partner out on a date. But with a shape-shifting villain on the loose, his timing couldn’t be worse... Red Mantis is determined to shatter a kidnapping ring, but ...

★★★★★ "Brink may not be the next script writer for Deadpool but he is probably in line... And being a pain while they wait, too." The first superheroes didn’t wear capes. But they did literally save the world. In 2015, Liska Sadoski is an android powerhouse and the newest member of Spitball’s Phenomenal Five. In 1941, Liska Sadoski is a war orphan and teenaged freedom fighter in Nazi-held Europe. She is also a “talent” born with supernatural gifts and a knight of the Allies’ Camelot Division. Camelot’s new assignment: Parachute into enemy territory, track down their ...

On planet Giger, Corporal Cranston Thorne is about to be court-martialed for conduct unbecoming. If he lives long enough to face trial. Impassioned scientist Ray Sharp shrinks himself to the size of a flea in the name of progress. Or is it purely out of unchecked jealousy? When a lonely orbital monastery comes under brutal attack, space pirate Leonidas Hawksblood and his misfit crew find themselves fighting on the side of the angels. Plus dragons, superheroes, and scary clowns! Tear the Quantum Barrier asunder with 18 tales of thrilling space opera, exciting sword and sorcery, and ...

The infamous Eight-Ball Gang has returned and they're blazing a path of mayhem across the Midwest. Silk Spider is the super-powered femme fatale assigned to bring them down. Normally, something as mundane as bank heists wouldn't fall under her jurisdiction. She's a superhero, after all. She's supposed to fight monsters, thwart terrorists, and jail supervillains. But the Gang's high profile and unstoppable crime spree demand the skills of a true superhero detective. And when Spider catches up to them with her bullet-proof corset and anger-fueled super-strength, she'll make them sorry they ...

A superhero double-feature! Gifted youngsters must decide if they’re heroes or villains... and which the local capes really are. Plus, a family man gets his superheroic start and learns rookie lessons the hard way. Destiny is not for the squeamish! Is The Raven a trickster or a hero? Nakai and Nizoni Proudtree are Native American kids growing up on the wrong side of the tracks. And in Shadowtown, it's not cool to root for superheroes. Especially when the most powerful hero in town is on the warpath. An insidious cult murdered the heroine Coyote. Now her partner, Medicine Man, hungers for ...